Overview

The Baxter Auto Syringe AS50 Infusion Pump is a compact, single-channel syringe-driven infusion pump intended for accurate continuous or intermittent delivery of intravenous solutions, drug solutions, whole blood, and packed red blood cells. The pump is indicated for IV, intra-arterial, epidural, and subcutaneous administration, and it can be piggybacked into an ongoing infusion line to deliver secondary solutions. Programmable infusion rates span 0.01 to 438 mL/hr depending on the syringe selected, and the device accepts standard disposable syringes from 1 mL to 60 mL across three OEM-supported manufacturers — B-D Plastic, Sherwood Monoject, and Terumo. The AS50 sits within Baxter’s Auto Syringe family alongside the AS40A  which share a common “900-Series” charger and battery platform per OEM documentation. Although Baxter has ended factory service for the AS50, the platform continues to be supported on the secondary market for facilities that have standardized on it for anesthesia, NICU, critical care, and procedural settings where syringe-driven precision dosing is preferred to large-volume pumping.

Display and User Interface

The AS50 uses a self-prompting multi-field LCD that organizes infusion data into eight discrete fields, each with left-side annunciators identifying the data type and right-side annunciators identifying the unit of measure. The current programmable field flashes to indicate it is open for entry, and the bottom two-line text area carries text prompts and infusion messages. A configurable backlight is on whenever the charger is connected and can also be configured to illuminate for a specified interval after each keypress on battery power. Above the display, a nine-LED status panel reports operating state at a glance: three Run lights flash in a falling-drop sequence during delivery, a single top Run light flashes during interval counting in scheduled modes, and the Run lights pulse in unison during bolus or purge. Distinct Alert, Battery, On Charge, Standby, Lock, and System indicators communicate alarm and configuration state without forcing the operator to read the LCD. The elastomeric numeric keypad provides tactile feedback and includes dedicated function keys for Bolus, Purge, Edit, Lock, Confirm, Clear, Start, and Stop, with arrow keys for incrementing values or moving between fields.

Drug Library and Dose Error Reduction

The AS50 implements dose error reduction primarily through its configurable Protocol Library feature, a set of named protocols that store frequently used programming data — default infusion mode, default concentration, default dose or rate, default bolus size, bolus prevention flag, and a bolus maximum rate ceiling — and that may be grouped into named libraries. When a protocol is selected during startup, the pump automatically pre-populates downstream programming steps and may skip the mode-selection step entirely if the protocol specifies a default mode. Protocols can also disable bolus delivery or cap bolus rate based on dosage units (such as mcg/kg/min), which is significant for high-alert infusions where an unintended large-volume push could be harmful. The pump supports 18 infusion modes in total: 15 continuous-delivery modes (mL/hr, mL/min, Units/hr, Units/min, mUnits/hr, mUnits/min, mg/hr, mg/min, mcg/hr, mcg/min, mg/kg/hr, mg/kg/min, mcg/kg/hr, mcg/kg/min, and Custom Dilution) and three timed modes (Single Dose, Manual Schedule, and Auto Schedule). Custom Dilution is particularly useful when a target rate and target weight-based dose are known but the drug must be reconstituted on the spot — the pump calculates the volume of drug to add to the infusion base solution to achieve the requested final concentration. Volume limits, body weight, drug concentration, and bolus parameters are all entered through a self-prompted numeric keypad sequence, and the pump performs out-of-range data tests on every Confirm keypress.

Software Versions and Platform Evolution

The AS50 belongs to Baxter’s Auto Syringe platform, a family that also includes the earlier AS40A. All members of the family share the “900-Series” charger interface per OEM documentation, which is why service-shop battery references such as 5601 and B11056 appear across multiple Auto Syringe models. The AS50 platform itself stores its application firmware and configuration data in onboard memory, and the active software and configuration version can be displayed from the Configuration Review menu. The Configuration Review groups options into VIEW LIBRARY (protocol library), VIEW MODES (allowed infusion modes), VIEW SYRINGES (enabled syringe manufacturers and sizes), VIEW DFAULTS (default values), VIEW MISC (miscellaneous including remote control), and VIEW ALERTS (alarm and alert behavior), plus a configurable identifier of up to eight characters that displays after the lamp test on power-up. Configuration changes and field-service procedures are documented in the OEM Service Manual and were typically performed by Baxter or by hospital biomedical engineering. Because Baxter has ended factory service on the AS50 platform, software-level changes today are made through authorized secondary-market service paths, and IPR Medical can advise on which configuration adjustments and protocol-library updates are still feasible on a given pump revision.

Battery, Mounting, and Portable Operation

The AS50 is built for portability. Its high-impact plastic case carries removable elastomeric bumpers for impact protection, the unit weighs approximately 3.2 lbs, and at roughly 3.4 inches wide by 2.6 inches deep by 10 inches tall it fits comfortably on an IV pole, a transport sled, or a tabletop. Power comes from an internal 5-cell rechargeable battery pack; the pump is not intended to operate on AC power alone. Following a minimum 16-hour charge, Baxter specifies approximately 5 hours of operation at 100 mL/hr or 12 hours at 2 mL/hr using a 60 mL syringe, with actual runtime depending on syringe size, infusion rate, alarm activity, and battery age. The AC charger is the wall-mount “900 Series” model CAS40-01-900, which is unregulated and is shared with the AS40A series; the same battery platform is also serviced by the 1M8563 Multi-Charger. Baxter recommends battery replacement every 16 months as part of a regular preventive-maintenance program, since aged NiMH packs are a leading source of premature low-battery alarms and runtime shortfalls. The pump ships with an IV pole clamp and a built-in IV pole loop. The keypad supports a Lock function and a configurable Auto Lock that engages automatically after a configurable period, helping prevent unintended programming changes during transport.

Event Logging, Alarms, and Remote Monitoring

The AS50 records up to 253 events in non-volatile EEPROM, partitioned into a 243-entry event log and a separate 10-entry fail-safe log. Each log is maintained as a circular buffer, so once full, the oldest event is overwritten by the newest. Both logs are read out through the DB-9 RS-232 serial port using the command set documented in the OEM Programmer’s Manual. The serial interface also supports remote monitoring of infusion totals, program values, and operational status whenever the pump is in operation, and — when the REMOTE CONTROL configuration option is enabled — supports remote control of pump operations from a host computer. The pump’s alarm system distinguishes alerts (operator-attention conditions such as PUMP IS IDLE, NEAR END, and CHECK SYRINGE) from alarms (delivery-stopping conditions such as LINE OCCLUDED and EMPTY) and from fail-safe alarms (numbered ERROR M and ERROR L codes that indicate master and slave processor faults). Audible alerting is delivered through a piezo ceramic transducer driven at 4 kHz for normal tones and at an oscillating 4 kHz to 2 kHz for fail-safe conditions, with a configurable audio range. For LINE OCCLUDED alarms, OEM guidance specifies relieving residual syringe pressure by releasing the plunger driver before clearing the occlusion, to avoid an unintentional bolus when the blockage is removed.

Service and Maintenance Considerations

Because Baxter has ended OEM service for the AS50 platform, ongoing maintenance has shifted to qualified third-party service organizations. The OEM-recommended periodic maintenance program consists of a daily check (lamp test, audible click on each keypress, and visual inspection of the syringe-mounting hardware), scheduled battery replacement every 16 months, periodic display-and-syringe-sensor checks, keypad checks, and battery voltage checks, all documented in the OEM Service Manual. Routine cleaning is performed with the OEM-approved cleaner list — solvents such as acetone, ammonia, benzene, methylene chloride, and ozone, as well as cleaners containing n-alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride that are not on the approved list, must not be used because they damage the front panel. The AS50 must not be autoclaved, EtO sterilized, steam sterilized, or exposed to temperatures above 104°F. Repeated incorrect syringe-size identification by the Syringe Recognition feature is an OEM-flagged indicator that the pump should be removed from service for investigation, since it can signal a sensor fault or a dimensional change in the syringe. IPR Medical handles repair, calibration, battery replacement, and parts replacement for AS50 pumps, and can advise on device disposition when a unit is approaching end-of-life and replacement with a current-generation Baxter Novum IQ Syringe Pump or comparable platform may be more cost-effective than continued repair.

FDA Device Corrections and Safety Bulletins

The Baxter Auto Syringe AS50 Infusion Pump has been the subject of at least one FDA-classified Class 2 device recall affecting the AS50 platform, listed in the FDA Medical Device Recalls Database. Class 2 designations are used when use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. Because the AS50 has been in clinical service for many years and Baxter has ended OEM support for the platform, facilities that continue to operate AS50 pumps should periodically verify that no additional safety communications, OEM Urgent Field Safety Notices, or correction letters apply to their specific catalog code, configuration, or pump revision. Field-replaceable wear items — particularly the rechargeable battery, the barrel-clamp assembly, the plunger driver assembly, and the keypad overlay — are the most common contributors to operational complaints on aging AS50 fleets, and many of those issues are addressed through preventive maintenance rather than through formal correction action.

Because FDA device corrections and safety communications may be updated or expanded after the date of this listing, IPR Medical recommends that facilities also check the FDA’s official resources directly to ensure they have the most current information.

FDA resources for further review:
FDA Medical Device Recalls Database  |
FDA Medical Device Safety

IPR Medical — Buy, Sell, Repair, and Parts

IPR Medical supports the Baxter Auto Syringe AS50 platform with full purchase, resale, repair, and parts services. We buy AS50 pumps individually or by fleet from facilities transitioning to current-generation syringe-pump platforms; we sell tested, refurbished AS50 units with calibration documentation; and we repair AS50 pumps for facilities that have standardized on the platform and need to keep it operational. Because Baxter has ended OEM service on the AS50, IPR Medical’s secondary-market support is one of the more practical paths to keeping these pumps in clinical service: we stock the high-wear field-replaceable parts (batteries, pole clamps, barrel-clamp assemblies, plunger driver assemblies, keypads, AC chargers, and front and rear case assemblies), we perform calibration and functional verification, and we can advise on whether continued repair or fleet replacement makes more economic sense for your facility’s specific configuration and case-mix.

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts for the Baxter Auto Syringe AS50 Infusion Pump. Contact IPR Medical at 855-477-8866 or cs@iprmed.com with service or software questions.

Trademark Notice: Baxter, and all other brand names, model names, and part numbers shown are trademarks of their respective owners and are used on this page only to identify the original manufacturer’s equipment offered here, consistent with nominative fair use. This listing is offered by IPR Medical, an ISO 9001:2015-certified independent service organization, and is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Baxter.